Related Targets

VMATs (Vesicular Monoamine Transporters) transport biogenic amines such as dopamine into vesicles within monoamine-containing neurons. Vesicular transporters are responsible for filling synaptic vesicles with neurotransmitter, thus contributing to the recycling of neurotransmitter and ensuring neurotransmission throughout the CNS.

VMAT exists as two isoforms - VMAT1 and VMAT2 - which are distributed between different cell types. VMAT1 is generally expressed in neuroendocrine cells while VMAT2 is usually active in serotonergic, dopaminergic, histaminergic and adrenergic neurons. The function of VMAT is not only important for the maintenance of neurotransmission, but also serves a protective purpose: keeping the cytoplasmic concentrations of neurotransmitters low in order to avoid oxidative deamination and toxicity. VMAT2 has been shown to sequester MPP+, the toxic metabolite of MPTP, in synaptic vesicles. VMAT2 is also the only transporter that moves cytoplasmic dopamine into vesicles and this makes it an attractive therapeutic target for both Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease.

Literature for Vesicular Monoamine Transporters

Neurodegeneration Product Guide

A collection of over 275 products for neurodegeneration research, the guide includes research tools for the study of:

Dopamine Receptors Scientific Review

Written by Phillip Strange and revised by Kim Neve in 2013, this review summarizes the history of the dopamine receptors and provides an overview of individual receptor subtype properties, their distribution and identifies ligands which act at each receptor subtype. Compounds available from Tocris are listed.

Parkinson's Poster

Parkinson's disease (PD) causes chronic disability and is the second most common neurodegenerative condition. This poster outlines the neurobiology of the disease, as well as highlighting current therapeutic treatments for symptomatic PD, and emerging therapeutic strategies to delay PD onset and progression.